How much higher are wages in the UK compared to the US?

[Savij]

Originally posted by: Pale Rider
In the US the minimum wage was never designed to be a living wage. These jobs are designed for young people in school, retired folks to supplement their retirement savings and stay at home moms or dads to supplement the main house hold earner. Nothing more.

If someone were to try and live off of a minimum wage job they would be well below the poverty line ($20k/year/household). Maybe it?s different in the UK, I don?t know. In the US it is expected that an adult will seek out some type of training after high school whether it?s college (professional degree in art or science, medical or law), technical school, an apprenticeship (plumber, electrical, machine shop, baker, cook, etc) or corporate job training (sales, marketing, management, etc) and will then go on to make a living wage in the field of their training.

The min. wage will keep you above the poverty line if you are single. If you are single then you have to work under 40 hours a week at minimum wage to get below the poverty line.

 

[RichUK]

lol, $5.85.

 

[LostUte]

According to the BLS, about 2.3% of hourly workers made minimum wage or less. However, 3/4's of these were in food or service industries, meaning tips would most likely bring them above minimum. Half of minimum wage workers were under 25.

In addition, the 2.3% does not include salaried workers. Inclusion of salaried workers would likely bring down the 2.3% statistic significantly.

Text

 

[Gunslinger08]

I love it when people complain about the minimum wage in the U.S. and demand it be raised to some ridiculous amount. Shows how little they understand the economy.

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: Auryg

Originally posted by: ICRS

Originally posted by: Cheesetogo

Originally posted by: BoomerD
$5.85? Recockulous! you must be in one of the states that doesn't like it's workers...here in Kahleeforneeya, minimum wage is $8.00 and even waitresses/waiters get the full amount, not some sub-minimum slave wage.

Really? I'll have to remember not to tip anyone when I visit.

Why? They work hard for their pay and deserve a tip?

O well to each their own.

Waitresses make great money..they would even without a salary at all. They don't need, or deserve, a high one, unless we get to tip less.

Then by all means, stay in dumbfuckistan where people don't care about others. I've noticed over the years that restaurant food prices are pretty much the same price regardless of the actual wage paid to the servers. That means the restaurant gets a bigger slice of the pie and screws the server.
We tip the same rate no matter what the base wage may be.

 

[slsmnaz]

eliminating it would be a good start

 

[Cellulose]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
I love it when people complain about the minimum wage in the U.S. and demand it be raised to some ridiculous amount. Shows how little they understand the economy.

Yet 40% of surveyed Economists want it raised...

Not saying I agree it should be raised, but its a little more complicated than you think.

For example...

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
$5.85? Wow, that's pretty bad. Minimum wage in NZ is $12.00 and will probably rise soon. $5.85 is pretty shitty for a very wealthy country Probably there are less people (per capita) on minimum wage in USA though.

Well yeah, when you have to pay $70 for a Volcom tshirt that would otherwise cost $15 in the States, $12.00 seems a pretty viable minimum wage.

 

[PricklyPete]

Originally posted by: rikadik
As an ATOTer living in the UK I can confirm that although our minimum wage of £5.52 / $10.89 seems good the cost of living is getting higher and higher.

For example, I filled my car up for £1.19 a litre the other day - that's almost $9 per US gallon.

I filled up my diesel a few weeks ago at 1.31 a litre... I felt dirty and ashamed after the experience.

 

[IEC]

I'm working @ 7.95/hr for the summer.

Yes, I am a college student working a minimum wage job...

 

[RaistlinZ]

Originally posted by: onlyCOpunk

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
$5.85? Wow, that's pretty bad. Minimum wage in NZ is $12.00 and will probably rise soon. $5.85 is pretty shitty for a very wealthy country Probably there are less people (per capita) on minimum wage in USA though.

Well yeah, when you have to pay $70 for a Volcom tshirt that would otherwise cost $15 in the States, $12.00 seems a pretty viable minimum wage.

$12.00? I don't think that'd be a good idea. If people can make a comfortable living off minimum wage what incentive is there for them to go to or finish high school, seek out higher education or advanced skills, and generally improve themselves beyond a 3rd grade education? How would be we able to compete globally with countries that are much more educated?

The mimimum wage isn't supposed to be something people aspire to; it's supposed to be a temporary income while you work towards getting a career job.

 

[Slew Foot]

Heh, a janitor gets a starting wage of $14/hr here at UC Davis.

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Are you some kind of elitist? LOTS of people besides high school kids work for minimum wage.

sorry, i forgot about college students working part time too

 

[Capitalizt]

When you increase the cost of anything, you get less of it. If the government increases the cost for businesses to hire unskilled labor, they will hire less workers and seek alternatives to employment (automation, or outsourcing jobs to China/India, etc).

Policies like minimum wage have thousands of visible beneficiaries but MILLIONS of invisible victims. You can always point to the person making an extra buck because of the min wage, but you never see the people who are never hired because the cost was too prohibitive for a small business...And you never see the tiny shop owners who never become shop owners because of the endless red tape and regulations.

Government economic policies = few visible beneficiaries...many invisible victims.

 

[onlyCOpunk]

Originally posted by: RaistlinZ

Originally posted by: onlyCOpunk

Originally posted by: GodlessAstronomer
$5.85? Wow, that's pretty bad. Minimum wage in NZ is $12.00 and will probably rise soon. $5.85 is pretty shitty for a very wealthy country Probably there are less people (per capita) on minimum wage in USA though.

Well yeah, when you have to pay $70 for a Volcom tshirt that would otherwise cost $15 in the States, $12.00 seems a pretty viable minimum wage.

$12.00? I don't think that'd be a good idea. If people can make a comfortable living off minimum wage what incentive is there for them to go to or finish high school, seek out higher education or advanced skills, and generally improve themselves beyond a 3rd grade education? How would be we able to compete globally with countries that are much more educated?

The mimimum wage isn't supposed to be something people aspire to; it's supposed to be a temporary income while you work towards getting a career job.

Minimum wage is also based off cost of living, and it costs a lot more to live in NZ, hence the high wage. I was making $17/hour at a temp office job. And what temp do you know in the states gets paid $17/hour aside from specialized positions?

 

[XZeroII]

Originally posted by: joshsquall
I love it when people complain about the minimum wage in the U.S. and demand it be raised to some ridiculous amount. Shows how little they understand the economy.

Exactly. The minimum wage debate is one of the first things that I was taught in economics (in high school, even). It's pretty sad how uneducated some people are.

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Are you some kind of elitist? LOTS of people besides high school kids work for minimum wage.

sorry, i forgot about college students working part time too

Open your eyes and look at all the people working retail, fast food, janitorial jobs, etc. MOST of the unskilled labor out there pays minimum wage or slightly above.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to go to college and get a sterling job that pays 6 figures, even though most of ATOT seems to think they should be able to do that. Sometimes life interferes with plans.

 

[Playmaker]

Originally posted by: BoomerD

Originally posted by: ElFenix

Originally posted by: BoomerD
Are you some kind of elitist? LOTS of people besides high school kids work for minimum wage.

sorry, i forgot about college students working part time too

Open your eyes and look at all the people working retail, fast food, janitorial jobs, etc. MOST of the unskilled labor out there pays minimum wage or slightly above.
Unfortunately, not everyone has the opportunity to go to college and get a sterling job that pays 6 figures, even though most of ATOT seems to think they should be able to do that. Sometimes life interferes with plans.

Less than 1% of the US population earns federal minimum wage or less (1.7M people). I'm sure the majority of these are students, people who refuse to work full-time, ex-cons, and the mentally disabled.

The idea that a significant portion of the workforce makes minimum wage is laughable.

 

[BoomerD]

http://www.getrichslowly.org/b...arns-the-minimum-wage/

"According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual income of a U.S. worker is $32,140. Federal minimum wage is currently $5.85 an hour, or about $11,500 per year ? just above the poverty line. Of the 76.5 million people paid by the hour in the United States in 2006, 2.2% make minimum wage or less. Here are some generalizations we can make about minimum wage workers:

Most minimum wage earners are young. While 2.2% of all hourly workers earn minimum wage or less, just 1.4% of workers over the age of 25 are paid at or below the Federal minimum wage. More than half (51.2%) of minimum wage workers are between 16 and 24 years old. Another 21.2% are between 25 and 34.

Most minimum wage earners work in food service. Nearly two-thirds of those paid minimum wage (or less) are food service workers. Many of these people receive supplemental income in the form of tips, which the government does not track.

Most minimum wage earners never attended college. Just 1.2% of college graduates are paid the minimum wage. If you only have a high school degree, you?re more likely (1.9%) to be paid minimum wage. Those without a high school degree are nearly three times as likely (3.7%) to earn minimum wage. 59.8% of all minimum wage workers have no advanced education.

Finally, as you might expect, part-time workers are five times more likely to be paid the minimum wage than full-time workers. "

"Many workers begin their post-school careers in jobs paying the minimum or something close to it, but?the vast majority of workers move on to higher paying jobs as they accumulate experience.
However, there is a nontrivial fraction of workers who spend substantial portions of their early careers consistently working in minimum wage jobs. [...] Less educated persons, blacks, women with young children, and workers who reside outside of urban areas are much more likely to have such minimum wage careers."


According to those numbers, 2.2% of 76.5 million workers earn the Federal Minimum wage or less...that's 1,683,000. NOT an insignificant number.

 

[XZeroII]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
http://www.getrichslowly.org/b...arns-the-minimum-wage/

"According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual income of a U.S. worker is $32,140. Federal minimum wage is currently $5.85 an hour, or about $11,500 per year ? just above the poverty line. Of the 76.5 million people paid by the hour in the United States in 2006, 2.2% make minimum wage or less. Here are some generalizations we can make about minimum wage workers:

Most minimum wage earners are young. While 2.2% of all hourly workers earn minimum wage or less, just 1.4% of workers over the age of 25 are paid at or below the Federal minimum wage. More than half (51.2%) of minimum wage workers are between 16 and 24 years old. Another 21.2% are between 25 and 34.

Most minimum wage earners work in food service. Nearly two-thirds of those paid minimum wage (or less) are food service workers. Many of these people receive supplemental income in the form of tips, which the government does not track.

Most minimum wage earners never attended college. Just 1.2% of college graduates are paid the minimum wage. If you only have a high school degree, you?re more likely (1.9%) to be paid minimum wage. Those without a high school degree are nearly three times as likely (3.7%) to earn minimum wage. 59.8% of all minimum wage workers have no advanced education.

Finally, as you might expect, part-time workers are five times more likely to be paid the minimum wage than full-time workers. "

"Many workers begin their post-school careers in jobs paying the minimum or something close to it, but?the vast majority of workers move on to higher paying jobs as they accumulate experience.
However, there is a nontrivial fraction of workers who spend substantial portions of their early careers consistently working in minimum wage jobs. [...] Less educated persons, blacks, women with young children, and workers who reside outside of urban areas are much more likely to have such minimum wage careers."


According to those numbers, 2.2% of 76.5 million workers earn the Federal Minimum wage or less...that's 1,683,000. NOT an insignificant number.

Your last sentence is contradictory to the entire rest of your post. As you can see from the stats that you posted above, a large percent of those 1.7 million people only earn minimum wage for a very short period, then they move on to bigger things. Most of these people work in food service industries where they get supplemental income from tips and such.

So basically you posted a whole bunch of facts and then turned around and pulled one insignificant part of it and ignored the rest.

 

[ElFenix]

Nearly two-thirds of those paid minimum wage (or less) are food service workers. Many of these people receive supplemental income in the form of tips

so a bartender making $4.00/hour officially but $500 a night after tipout is included. awesome. further, said bartender has a good chance of being in college. also included are fast-food workers. you know who works in fast food? high school kids in their first job.

strip out high school kids living with mom and dad, strip out people making well over minimum after tips, and then we'll talk.

"Many workers begin their post-school careers in jobs paying the minimum or something close to it, but?the vast majority of workers move on to higher paying jobs as they accumulate experience.

these people i don't worry about

However, there is a nontrivial fraction of workers who spend substantial portions of their early careers consistently working in minimum wage jobs. [...] Less educated persons, blacks, women with young children, and workers who reside outside of urban areas are much more likely to have such minimum wage careers."

these people i do, but an across the board hike in the minimum wage is not the answer for them. figuring out why they're stuck on minimum wage and helping them in particular out of it is the answer. they also probably make up less than 10% of minimum wage earners, and i'd take a gander at even less than 5%.

 

[Playmaker]

Originally posted by: BoomerD
http://www.getrichslowly.org/b...arns-the-minimum-wage/

"According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the median annual income of a U.S. worker is $32,140. Federal minimum wage is currently $5.85 an hour, or about $11,500 per year ? just above the poverty line. Of the 76.5 million people paid by the hour in the United States in 2006, 2.2% make minimum wage or less. Here are some generalizations we can make about minimum wage workers:

Most minimum wage earners are young. While 2.2% of all hourly workers earn minimum wage or less, just 1.4% of workers over the age of 25 are paid at or below the Federal minimum wage. More than half (51.2%) of minimum wage workers are between 16 and 24 years old. Another 21.2% are between 25 and 34.

Most minimum wage earners work in food service. Nearly two-thirds of those paid minimum wage (or less) are food service workers. Many of these people receive supplemental income in the form of tips, which the government does not track.

Most minimum wage earners never attended college. Just 1.2% of college graduates are paid the minimum wage. If you only have a high school degree, you?re more likely (1.9%) to be paid minimum wage. Those without a high school degree are nearly three times as likely (3.7%) to earn minimum wage. 59.8% of all minimum wage workers have no advanced education.

Finally, as you might expect, part-time workers are five times more likely to be paid the minimum wage than full-time workers. "

"Many workers begin their post-school careers in jobs paying the minimum or something close to it, but?the vast majority of workers move on to higher paying jobs as they accumulate experience.
However, there is a nontrivial fraction of workers who spend substantial portions of their early careers consistently working in minimum wage jobs. [...] Less educated persons, blacks, women with young children, and workers who reside outside of urban areas are much more likely to have such minimum wage careers."


According to those numbers, 2.2% of 76.5 million workers earn the Federal Minimum wage or less...that's 1,683,000. NOT an insignificant number.

Uhhhh, I said 1.7M in my post, did you even read it?

And 76.5M is not the number of workers in the US (a country of 300M people) as the final sentence in your post insinuates. Those are HOURLY workers, which is very clear from your own source. When speaking of the US populace, or even just the total US workforce, 1.7M is most definitely an insignificant amount.

 

[miri]

Where can I find this stat

How many people from each country make anywhere from minimum wage to 25% above minimum?

 

[Playmaker]

strip out high school kids living with mom and dad, strip out people making well over minimum after tips, and then we'll talk.

Do this and you are talking about a couple hundred thousand people in a country of over 300 million. We're talking maybe a tenth of a percent. His position is ridiculous.

 

[txrandom]

Federal minimum wage is $5.85. It's the same in Texas. In about a month, it's going up to $6.55 federally and thus in Texas as well.